Thursday, August 2, 2007

Recovery and Rest

This evening I finally made time for a recovery session. It's my first one since getting back from Michigan. I was in dire need of it, and it paid off in a big way. After 45 minutes of the foam roller, stretching, and the stick, I feel much looser and more comfortable. I am still out of alignment, but there is only so much one session can do for you. My big mistake was doing nothing after lifting all day on Saturday, sleeping in the hotel bed, and traveling home on the train Sunday. I'll get this sorted by the end of the weekend.

Scaling back my work schedule is making life much easier. I've only had 3 normal work days so far, and already I feel as though the work week is pretty short. Stress levels have dropped, my evenings seem long, and I am gradually finding time for all the things I'd been neglecting. I think by the end of next weekend I will be back to 100%. The trick now is to anticipate scenarios that will create significant overtime and prevent them. I am getting better at it and identified one today that I will be heading off on Monday.

For the next 6 weeks it's just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other, doing my conditioning program working with what I have. As long as I eat well and get the workouts in, I'll meet my goals. 6 weeks to drop 10lbs and bring my conditioning up from nothing to something really isn't asking much.

My budgeted approach to the wishlist is working well. I have not ordered any new toys since I got the steel last month. My FBBC order is finally at my parents house, I'll get it this weekend. That should keep me pacified for a few weeks at least. Not only that, I just got the Vice Gripper at the grip contest, which is really cool.

Realistically, I already have everything that is needed to get really strong. Not to say there aren't other things I'd enjoy (David Horne's bending machine is awesome!), but I need to focus on making the most of what I have for the next month or so. Once I hit my conditioning goals, I'll get myself something nice.